Pin plate for construction of an article

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for aligning materials in order to construct an article is provided. The apparatus may include an array of moveable pins and a solid plate having an array of holes, where the array of holes is aligned with the array of pins. Each pin may be extended and/or retracted by a programmable actuator array. When a pin is extended, at least a portion of the pin may extend through the hole with which it is aligned, such that at least a portion of the pin extends beyond the solid plate. A fraction of the total number of pins in the array of pins may be extended by the programmable actuator array. The particular pins that are to be extended may be based on a pattern for an article. A material that is to be used in constructing the article may be aligned using the extended pins.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This continuation application, having attorney docket numberNIKE.271874/10-1377US01CON and entitled “Pin Plate for Construction ofan Article,” is claiming the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 120 of theprior-filed application Ser. No. 14/444,325, filed Jul. 28, 2014, havingattorney docket number 10-1377/NIKE.157821 and entitled “Pin Plate forConstruction of an Article.” The entirety of the aforementionedapplication is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary aspects hereof relate to systems and methods for articlemanufacturing, such as flexible article manufacturing.

BACKGROUND

Generally, methods and systems for the assembly and production offlexible articles, such as garments and shoes, may be highly variableand require a great deal of human oversight. Shoe manufacturing, forexample, involves a multitude of steps that vary greatly based upon thestyle of shoe involved. Such steps might include printing, stitching,forming, and the like. Moreover, due to variability in size and style,shoe production machinery and other apparatuses are designed andmachined specifically for a particular style line and/or size.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Exemplary aspects hereof include an apparatus for aligning materials inorder to construct an article. The article may be a flexible article,such as a shoe. The apparatus may include an array of moveable pinscoupled to a pin plate, as well as a solid plate having an array ofholes, where the array of holes may be aligned with the array of pins.Each pin may be extended and/or retracted by a programmable actuatorarray. In exemplary aspects, when a pin is extended, at least a portionof the pin extends through the hole with which it is aligned, such thatat least a portion of the pin extends beyond the solid plate. A fractionof the total number of pins in the array of pins may be extended by theprogrammable actuator array, where the particular pins that are to beextended are based on a pattern for an article of manufacture, such as ashoe. For example, the number of pins, as well as the configuration ofthe pins, that are to be extended may be determined based on such apattern. A material that is to be used in constructing the article maybe aligned using the extended pins. Once aligned, the material may besubjected to various processing steps, such as stitching, printing,fusing, lasering, and the like.

In an exemplary aspect, the apparatus may include a solid plate having aface, a back, and an array of holes that extend from the back of thesolid plate to the face of the solid plate. The apparatus may furtherinclude an array of pins that is aligned with the array of holes. In oneexample, each hole is aligned with one pin, and each pin is aligned withone hole, such that each pin may extend through the corresponding hole.When each pin is in an extended position, the pin may extend through thecorresponding hole and at least partially beyond the face of the solidplate. When each pin is in a retracted position, the pin may retractbehind the face of the solid plate. The apparatus may also include aprogrammable actuator system that is capable of individually actuatingeach pin of the array of pins. Individually actuating each pin mayinclude extending and/or retracting each pin. In one aspect, theprogrammable actuator system may further include a locking system thattemporarily secures each pin that is in an extended position.Additionally, the programmable actuator system may interface with acomputing system that causes the actuator system to independentlyactuate each pin of the array of pins. The computing system may causethe programmable actuator system to extend at least a fraction of thetotal number of pins in the array of pins. The fraction may be based ona pattern for a shoe upper.

In exemplary aspects, the array of pins is comprised of greater than1000 pins and the array of holes is correspondingly comprised of greaterthan 1000 holes. Each pin may have a diameter in the range of about 1millimeter to about 10 millimeters. For example, the diameter of eachpin may be about 3 millimeters. In further exemplary aspects, thediameter of each pin may be based on a material that is to be aligned.The geometry of each pin may also be based on the material that is to bealigned. Each pin may have a length, and when the pin is in an extendedposition, the portion of the length of the pin that extends beyond theface of the solid plate may be less than or equal to the length of thepin.

Exemplary aspects hereof may also provide a system for aligningmaterials to construct the upper of a shoe. The system may include asolid plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, where eachhole in the array of holes extends through the solid plate from its faceto its back. The system may further include an array of moveable pinsthat are moveable between an extended position and a retracted position.Each pin of the array of moveable pins may have a pin length. Each pinmay further have an address that corresponds to a location of a hole inthe array of holes. The pin address may, additionally or alternatively,correspond to a location of the pin on a pin plate. When a pin is in aretracted position, the pin length may be behind the face of the solidplate. When a pin is in an extended position, the pin may be extendedaway from the face of the solid plate such that at least a portion ofthe pin length extends through the hole having the locationcorresponding to the pin address. The system may also include anactuator array that independently actuates each pin. Independentlyactuating each pin may include at least one of extending and retractingeach pin based on the respective pin address for each pin. The systemmay additionally include a computing system that interfaces with theactuator array to cause the actuator array to perform at least one ofextending and retracting each pin based on a pattern corresponding to ashoe design.

In further exemplary aspects, a method may be provided for aligning oneor more materials to construct an article. The method may includeprogramming a computing system interfaced with an actuator array. Theprogramming may be based on an extension pattern for an extendable arrayof pins, where the extension pattern determines alignment pins that areto be in an extended position. In one example, the extension pattern isbased on a design for a shoe upper, as well as materials to be alignedduring construction of the shoe upper. The alignment pins may be a setof the extendable array of pins, and any remaining pins in theextendable array of pins that are outside of the set may be retractedpins. In one example, the extension pattern includes two sets of pinswithin the extendable array of pins: (1) alignment pins that are to bein the extended position and (2) retracted pins that are to be in aretracted position, or that are not to be in the extended position. Themethod may further include using the actuator array to extend thealignment pins through an array of holes in a solid plate having a faceand a back. When the alignment pins are in the extended position, theymay extend at least partially beyond the face of the solid plate. Whenthe retracted pins are in the retracted position, they may be retractedbehind the back of the solid plate. The method may also includereversibly fixing at least one material to the alignment pins andmodifying the at least one material. Modifying the material may includeone or more of printing, sewing, or fusing the material.

The method may additionally include locking the extendable array of pinssuch that the alignment pins are fixed in the extended position and theretracted pins are fixed in the retracted position. The method may alsoinclude unlocking the alignment pins and using the actuator array toretract the alignment pins through the array of holes such that thealignment pins are retracted behind the back of the solid plate.

In additional exemplary aspects hereof, a method for aligning materialsto construct a shoe upper is provided. The method may include assigning,based upon a shoe upper design, to each pin of an array of pins eitheran extended position or a retracted position. An actuator arrayconfigured to independently actuate each pin of the array of pins may beused to move each pin to its assigned position. Each pin assigned to theextended position may extend at least partially beyond a face of a solidplate through a hole of an array of holes in the solid plate, where theholes extend from a back of the solid plate to the face of the solidplate. Each pin assigned to the retracted position may be retractedbehind the face of the solid plate. The method may further includereversibly fixing at least one material used to construct the shoe upperto each pin in the extended position. The method may also includemodifying the at least one material. The at least one material may be atextile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure makes reference to the attached drawing figures,wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a top perspective view of an exemplary solid plate havingan array of holes, in accordance with an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 2 depicts a top perspective view of an exemplary array of pinscoupled to a pin plate, in accordance with an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 3 depicts a cross-section of an exemplary system for aligningmaterials, in accordance with an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 4 depicts a cross-section of an exemplary system for aligningmaterials, in accordance with an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 5 depicts a portion of an exemplary system, shown in cross-section,for aligning materials, where one pin is in an extended position andanother pin is in a retracted position, in accordance with an exemplaryaspect hereof;

FIG. 6A depicts an exemplary extension pattern for an array of pins, inaccordance with an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 6B depicts an exemplary material that may be aligned according tothe extension pattern of FIG. 6A, in accordance with an exemplary aspecthereof;

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary system for aligning materials, in accordancewith an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary system for aligning materials, wheremultiple materials are being aligned, in accordance with an exemplaryaspect hereof;

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method for aligningmaterials in order to construct an article of manufacture, in accordancewith an exemplary aspect hereof;

FIG. 10 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method for aligningmaterials in order to construct a shoe upper, in accordance with anexemplary aspect hereof; and

FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary computing device thatmay be used with a system for aligning materials, in accordance with anexemplary aspect hereof.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter hereof may be described with specificity to meetstatutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intendedto limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors havecontemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied inother ways to include different steps or combinations of steps similarto the ones described in this document, in conjunction with otherpresent or future technologies.

Aspects hereof provide a pin plate alignment system that may be used toalign and stabilize materials during a manufacturing process. Inparticular, the pin plate alignment system may align portions of aflexible object, such as a shoe, during manufacturing, therebysubstantially reducing variation in the finished product and ensuringthat the finished product is reproducible. By way of example, the pinplate alignment system may be utilized during modifications of amaterial, where such modifications might include printing, forming,lasering, stitching, fusing, embroidering, and the like. As used herein,“material” may refer to one or more raw materials to be used inconstructing an article of manufacture, as well as to one or morematerials included in a partially constructed article of manufacture. Inone instance, a manufacturing process may include individuallymanufacturing an outsole, a midsole, and an upper portion of a shoe.When combined, these three parts may form a completed shoe. The pinplate alignment system may be used in the manufacture of the upperportion of a shoe, and may also be used to align portions of the upperduring various shoe manufacturing process steps.

The pin plate alignment system not only reduces variation in the shoemanufacturing process, but it may also be adapted to a variety ofdesigns. For example, a woman's shoe upper and a child's shoe upper mayhave substantially differing patterns and pieces of material foralignment. To accommodate such variations, the pin plate alignmentsystem may feature a set of alignment pins that may be individuallyextended and/or retracted via a programmable actuator array. The pinsthat are extended may form the alignment pins for aligning portions ofthe item under construction, such as the pieces of a shoe upper. Basedon the pattern or design of a shoe or other item, pins may be extendedand/or retracted via the actuator array to form a new alignment pinpattern for each different design. For example, a shoe manufacturer mayrely on the pin plate alignment system for aligning materials toconstruct any style and/or size of shoe, rather than relying onalignment devices that are specifically machined for each style and/orsize of shoe.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary solid plate 100 having aface 101 and a back 102 is illustrated. The solid plate 100 may includean array of holes 103, such as the hole 104. As illustrated, these holesmay extend from the back 102 to the face 101 of the exemplary solidplate 100. The solid plate may be used as part of a radio frequencywelder, heat press, or other means for constructing an article, such asa shoe. The exemplary solid plate may be machined or otherwiseconstructed from any material compatible with the processing steps formanufacturing an article, such as a shoe, that is at least partiallyconstructed from one or more materials.

The array of holes 103 may be machined or tooled to achieve a particulardiameter, pitch, or other desired property. A particular diameter and/orpitch may be selected based on various aspects of the material to bealigned. Such aspects may include the size, scale, configuration,pattern, and any other relevant feature of the material. In one example,each hole of the array of holes 103 may have a diameter between about 1millimeter and about 10 millimeters. In another example, each hole has adiameter of about 3 millimeters. As used herein, the terms “about,”“approximately,” and “substantially,” when used to describe a value, mayinclude a range of 99% to 101% of the specified value (i.e. +/−1% of thespecified value). For example, a diameter of “about 3 millimeters” mayinclude diameters ranging from 2.97 millimeters to 3.03 millimeters. Thearray of holes 103 may be uniform in size, such that each hole has adiameter that is substantially the same as the diameters of the otherholes. Additionally or alternatively, the array of holes 103 may includeholes of varying sizes, such that the diameter of one hole differs fromthe diameter of another hole. The number of holes included in the arrayof holes may depend on various aspects of the material to be aligned.Such aspects may include the size, scale, configuration, pattern, andany other relevant feature of the material. In one example, the array ofholes 103 includes approximately 1000 holes. As mentioned, the number ofholes may be reduced or increased based on, for example, the size andscale of the material.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary array of pins 200 is illustrated. Asshown, the array of pins 200 may be coupled to a pin plate 202. Alocation at which a pin is coupled to the pin plate may correspond to apin address. The array of pins 200 may be machined or otherwiseconstructed from any material compatible with the processing steps formanufacturing an article that is at least partially constructed from oneor more materials, such as a shoe. The materials used for constructingthe pins may be selected based on the nature of the material to bealigned. For example, the material to be aligned may be flexible,semi-flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or a combination of these and othercharacteristics. Flexible materials to be aligned may include fabricsand textiles. Semi-flexible materials may include rubber, foam, andother polymeric components. Rigid materials may include hard plasticsand metals. These exemplary lists are provided for illustrative purposesonly. It will be understood that other materials are contemplated asbeing included within the scope hereof. The specific characteristics ofthe material to be aligned may influence a determination of the type ofmaterial that is suitable for pin construction.

Additionally, the pins may be machined to include various pingeometries. For example, the tips of the pins may be flat, rounded,conical, as well as any other number of geometric shapes suitable forthe pin tip. A particular tip geometry may be selected based on avariety of factors, such as, for example, the nature of the material tobe aligned. The pin bodies may also be machined to include variousgeometric shapes. For example, while the pins in the array of pins 200are illustrated as having cylindrical bodies, the pins may be machinedto include any number of other geometric body shapes. For example, thepin bodies may resemble a pyramid, cone, cube, prism, or any othergeometric shape. In some instances, the pin bodies may be threaded.These varying shapes and features may serve to enhance grip, in additionto providing other benefits.

Each pin of the array of pins 200 may be aligned with a hole of thearray of holes 103. For example, the pin 201 may be aligned with thehole 104. In particular, a center of the pin 201 may be aligned with acenter of the hole 104. In one example, each hole of the array of holes103 is aligned with one pin of the array of pins 200, and each pin ofthe array of pins 200 is aligned with one hole of the array of holes103, such that each pin may extend through the corresponding hole. Forexample, a pin address may correspond to a location at which aparticular pin is coupled to the pin plate 202. A hole of the array ofholes 103 may be located such that it aligns with this pin address.Accordingly, a pin address may be associated with the location of aparticular pin and a corresponding hole. In aspects, each pin has aunique pin address.

The diameter, pitch, and/or other properties of each pin in the array ofpins 200 may be based on the diameter, pitch, and/or other properties ofthe corresponding hole of the array of holes 103. Additionally oralternatively, these properties may be based on the material to bealigned, such as the size, scale, configuration, pattern, and any otherrelevant feature of the material. In one example, each pin of the arrayof pins 200 may have a diameter between about 1 millimeter and about 10millimeters. In another example, each pin has a diameter of about 3millimeters. The array of pins 200 may be uniform in size, such thateach pin has a diameter that is substantially the same as the diametersof the other pins. Additionally or alternatively, the array of pins 200may include pins of varying sizes, such that the diameter of one pindiffers from the diameter of another pin. The number of pins included inthe array of pins may depend on various aspects of the material to bealigned. Such aspects may include the size, scale, configuration,pattern, and any other relevant feature of the material. In one example,the array of pins 200 includes approximately 1000 pins. As mentioned,the number of pins may be reduced or increased based on, for example,the size and scale of the material.

The array of pins 200 and the array of holes 103 may be uniformlydistributed. For example, the array of holes 103 may be uniformlydistributed across the solid plate 100, and the array of pins 200 may besimilarly distributed. Additionally or alternatively, the array of pins200 and the array of holes 103 may be non-uniformly distributed. Forexample, the array of holes 103 may be concentrated more densely at theperimeter, at the center, at one or more sides, or at any other portionof the solid plate. The array of pins 200 may be similarly distributedacross the pin plate 202.

The array of pins 200 is merely one example of an array of pins that issuitable for use with aspects hereof. Other configurations and/orarrangements of pin arrays are contemplated.

Referring to FIG. 3, a cross-section of an exemplary pin plate alignmentsystem 300 is illustrated. The exemplary system 300 includes a solidplate 301 shown in a cross-sectional view with an array of holes,including the hole 302. The system 300 may further include an array ofextendable pins, including the extended pin 304, which is in an extendedposition, and the retracted pin 303, which is in a retracted position.The pins may be extended and/or retracted using a programmable actuatorarray 305. The programmable actuator array 305 may be programmed toextend and/or retract each pin of the array of pins individually. Forexample, a moveable pin base, such as the pin base 308, may be raised inorder to move the extended pin 304 to the extended position.Additionally, a moveable pin base, such as the pin base 307, may belowered in order to move the retracted pin 303 to the retractedposition. In one aspect, each moveable pin base may be raised and/orlowered in order to extend and/or retract the corresponding pin. Asshown, the moveable pin bases may be raised out of, or lowered into,cavities, such as the cavities 310 and 311, in the pin plate 306. Inaspects, the programmable actuator array 305 may include a hydraulicactuator, pneumatic actuator, electric actuator, and/or mechanicalactuator. In additional aspects, other actuators may be included in theprogrammable actuator array 305. The exemplary pin plate alignmentsystem 300 includes merely one example of a system having a pin plateand programmable actuator array that is suitable for use with aspectshereof. Other configurations and arrangements are contemplated.

As mentioned, the programmable actuator array 305 may be programmed toextend and/or retract each pin of the array of pins individually. Thisindividual addressability of each pin in the array of pins may enablethe pin plate array to be adapted to a variety of articles that are tobe aligned, including shoes, apparel, and the like. Individual actuationof each pin also accommodates various steps included in a manufacturingprocess. For example, if a fraction of the total number of pins includedin the array of pins is obstructing a piece of equipment, that fractionmay be temporarily retracted to accommodate the piece of equipment. Whenthe equipment has completed its function, the pins that had beentemporarily retracted may be re-extended.

The programmable actuator array 305 may be programmably coupled to acomputer system 309. In particular, the computer system 309 may controlthe programmable actuator array 305. The computer system 309 may belocal to the programmable actuator array 305. Additionally oralternatively, the computer system 309 may be remote to the programmableactuator array 305. The computer system 309 may be connected wirelesslyand/or via wires to the programmable actuator array 305. In theexemplary system 300, a wired connection is illustrated between theprogrammable actuator array 305 and the computer system 309. Thecomputer system 309 may receive inputs corresponding to an articledesign and/or pattern, and the computer system 309 may then ascertain anextension pattern for the pin plate alignment system based on the designand/or pattern, as well as the type of material to be aligned and theprocessing to be performed. The extension pattern may refer to a patternthat identifies each individual pin that is to be extended for purposesof aligning a material. For example, an extension pattern may includepin addresses for pins that are to be in an extended position and/or pinaddresses for pins that are to be in a retracted position. Extensionpatterns will be discussed in greater detail with respect to FIGS.6A-6B. The computer system 309 may further control the extension and/orretraction of pins during manufacturing. For example, the computersystem 309 may determine the initial configuration of extended pins(e.g., the extension pattern) and may also control the movement of pinsduring manufacturing, such as the temporary retraction and re-extensionof pins for purposes of accommodating a piece of equipment. Additionalfeatures of the computer system 309 are discussed with respect to FIG.11.

Turning now to FIG. 4, another cross-sectional view of an exemplary pinplate alignment system 400 is illustrated. The system 400 may be used toalign materials that are to be used in constructing a shoe. The system400 may include a solid plate 401, an array of individually extendableand retractable pins (e.g., extended pin 402), an actuator array 404,and a locking system 406. These components may be arranged in a housing403. Additionally or alternatively, these components may be housedseparately. The housing 403, the solid plate 401, the array of pins(e.g., extended pin 402), the actuator array 404, and the locking system406 may be stationary and/or portable to accommodate manufacturing stepsand/or equipment.

The locking system 406 may fix each pin in a desired position. Forexample, the locking system 406 may fix the pins such that pins in anextended position remain in the extended position and pins in aretracted position remain in the retracted position. In one aspect, thelocking is temporary, and the pins may later be unlocked. Locking thepins may include fixing the pins firmly in a position, such that littleor no movement of the pin is permitted, as well as fixing the pins in aposition that allows for a small degree of movement in the position ofthe pin. This small degree of movement may be referred to as “give.” Thelocking system 406 may employ a variety of mechanisms in order totemporarily secure the pins in place. For example, a mechanical lock,electromagnetic lock, clamp, or any other number of locking mechanismmay be employed. Other means of mechanically fixing the pins in placeare included within the scope hereof.

The computer system 405 may be programmably coupled to the actuatorarray 404 and the locking system 406. For example, the computer system405 may control each of the actuator array 404 and the locking system406.

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary portion of a pin plate alignmentsystem 500 is illustrated in cross-section. As shown, an exemplaryretracted pin 502 is in a retracted position. The retracted pin 502 maybe retracted, such as entirely retracted, behind the back 509 and/or theface 510 of the solid plate 501. The retracted pin 502 has a length 503and a diameter 504. The retracted pin 502 may be aligned with a hole511, which is included in an array of holes in the solid plate 501. Theholes included in the array of holes may extend through the back 509 ofthe solid plate to the face 510 of the solid plate 501. The diameter ofeach hole may be selected such that a pin may extend and retract throughthe hole. For example, the diameter 512 of the hole 511 may besufficiently large to allow the retracted pin 502 to extend through thehole 511 and retract back through the hole 511. In one instance, thediameter 512 of the hole 511 is greater than the diameter of theretracted pin 502.

In addition to the retracted pin 502, an extended pin 505 is shown in anextended position. The body of the extended pin 505 has a length 506 anda diameter 513. As illustrated, when the extended pin 505 is in theextended position, at least a portion 507 of the length 506 of theextended pin 505 extends through the hole 508 and beyond the face 510 ofthe solid plate 501. The hole 508 may have a diameter 514. As mentioned,the diameter of each hole may be selected such that a pin may extend andretract through the hole. Thus, for example, the diameter 514 of thehole 508 may be sufficiently large to allow the extended pin 505 toextend through the hole 508 and retract back through the hole 508. Inone instance, the diameter 514 of the hole 508 is greater than thediameter 513 of the extended pin 505.

In aspects, the portion 507 may be less than or equal to the length 506.Additionally, the portion 507 that is to extend beyond the face 510 ofthe solid plate 501 may be determined based on a pattern and/or designof the article to be aligned. The portion 507 of the extended pin 505may further be based on the type of the materials that are to bealigned. In an exemplary aspect, one or more pins may be partiallyretracted such that a lesser portion of the lengths of the pins isextended during manufacturing. This partial retraction may accommodate aparticular piece of equipment or type of process.

In FIG. 6A, an exemplary extension pattern 600 is illustrated. In theextension pattern 600, an array of pins may be represented by an arrayof circular markers 602 on a solid plate 601. In one example, each ofthe circular markers 602 represents the location of a pin and itscorresponding hole. For example, each marker may correspond to a pinaddress for a pin in the array of pins. The exemplary extension pattern600 includes dark circles corresponding to extended pin markers, such asthe extended pin marker 604, and light circles corresponding toretracted pin markers, such as the retracted pin marker 605. For aparticular pattern, the extended pin markers may indicate that the pinat the location corresponding to the marker is to be in an extendedposition, while the retracted pin markers may indicate that the pin atthe location corresponding to the marker is to be in a retractedposition. The pattern indicator 603 illustrates a pattern associatedwith the extended pin markers. When each pin in an array of pins isextended and/or retracted according to the extension pattern 600, thefraction of pins that are in the extended position may be used to aligna material (e.g., “alignment pins”), while the fraction of pins that arein the retracted position might not participate in the alignment. Thefraction of pins, including the number and/or configuration of pins,that are to be in the extended position and used for alignment purposesmay be based on the shape, pattern, and/or type of the material that isto be aligned.

FIG. 6B illustrates an exemplary material 606 that is compatible withthe extension pattern 600. As shown, the material edges 607 correspondto the pattern indicator 603. Additionally, the material 606 includes asolid portion 608 and a number of holes, such as the hole 609. The holesin the material 606 may accommodate the alignment pins, which are to bein an extended position. For example, as illustrated, the locations ofthe holes in the material 606 correspond to the locations of theextended pin markers in the extension pattern 600. In other exemplaryaspects, the alignment pins may puncture a piece of material, or mayotherwise provide holes or another means of reversibly fixing thematerial to the alignment pins. In one aspect, the material may includeholes designed to function in the final article, such as a shoe with anupper material having holes for laces. In this example, the holes in theupper material may both accommodate the alignment pins duringmanufacturing and serve a function in the final article.

Turning now to FIG. 7, an exemplary pin plate alignment system 700 isillustrated. The system 700 includes a number of extended pins, such asextended pin 703, which extend beyond a face 702 of a solid plate 701.These extended pins may be referred to as “alignment pins,” because asillustrated, these pins may be used to align a material 704. Forinstance, the alignment pins may reversibly fix the material 704, suchthat the material 704 may be fixed in place during manufacturingprocesses, and then released from the alignment system 700 when theprocesses are complete. In one example, the alignment pins are arrangedaccording to an extension pattern, such as the extension pattern 600 ofFIG. 6A. As mentioned, the set of pins that is selected for aligning amaterial may be based on a pattern and/or design for a material. Thismay include a pattern and/or design for an article that is at leastpartially constructed from one or more materials.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, the system 700 may further include a setof retracted pins beneath the face 702 of the solid plate 701. Theseretracted pins may be extended and/or the extended pins may be retractedduring subsequent manufacturing steps. This individual movability ofeach pin between an extended and/or retracted position may accommodatevarious processes, such as stitching, fusing, printing, lasering, andthe like. Furthermore, assembly may involve aligning a rigid orsemi-rigid backing piece on the extended pins and then stacking amaterial on top of pins for alignment. The rigid or semi-rigid piece,such as card stock, paper, felt, and the like, may provide additionalsupport for assembly and for transporting materials betweenmanufacturing equipment. The backing piece may ultimately be removed.Additionally or alternatively, the backing piece may become part of thefinished article.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary pin plate alignment system 800 foraligning multiple materials. As previously explained, the materials tobe aligned may be flexible, semi-flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or acombination of these and other characteristics. A first set of alignmentpins 803 for aligning a first material 804 is illustrated, as well as asecond set of alignment pins 805 for aligning a second material 806.Regarding the first set of alignment pins 803 and the second set ofalignment pins 805, at least a portion of the length of these alignmentpins extend beyond a face 802 of a solid plate 801. In particular, thesepins may extend through an array of holes, such as the hole 807, in thesolid plate 801.

In one example, the first material 804 may be aligned and processedfirst. In exemplary aspects, during the processing of the firstmaterial, the first set of alignment pins 803 may be in an extendedposition, while the second set of alignment pins 805 may be in aretracted position. For example, the first set of alignment pins 803 maybe secured and/or locked in the extended position and the second set ofalignment pins 805 may be secured and/or locked in the retractedposition, such that the second set of alignment pins 805 are out of theprocessing field while the first material 804 is being processed. At anappropriate time, such as when the manufacturing process indicates thatthe second material 806 may be added, the second set of alignment pins805 may be extended and the second material 806 may be aligned andprocessed. The first set of alignment pins 803 may remain extended.Additionally or alternatively, the first set of alignment pins 803 maybe at least partially retracted.

In exemplary aspects, multiple sets of alignment pins may be extended toaccommodate multiple pieces of material to be used in the constructionof an article, such as a shoe or other flexible article. As themanufacturing process progresses, fewer alignment pins may be requiredto align the multiple pieces of material. In this instance, a fractionof the alignment pins that were initially in an extended position may beretracted. This retraction may accommodate various processing steps.

In additional aspects, a fraction of the alignment pins that wereinitially extended may be at least partially retracted during variousstages of the manufacturing process. For example, at a particular stageof the manufacturing process, a fraction of the first set of alignmentpins 803, a fraction of the second set of alignment pins 805, and/oralignment pins not included in either of these sets may be at leastpartially retracted to accommodate that particular stage of themanufacturing process.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram 900 illustrates an exemplarymethod for aligning materials in order to construct an article that isat least partially constructed of one or more materials. At step 901, anarticle design, a design and/or pattern for a shoe or an apparel item,may be received. A pin extension pattern may be determined based on thedesign, pattern, and/or materials to be used in the construction of thearticle. At step 902, a computing system that is interfaced with anactuator array may be programmed based on the pin extension pattern.Additionally or alternatively, the computing system may determine thepin extension pattern based on the design, pattern, and/or materials tobe used in the construction of the article. At step 903, the actuatorarray, which may individually actuate each extendable pin in an array ofpins, may then extend the pins according to the extension pattern. Theactuator array may extend the designated pins in unison, sequentially,in groups, or in any other order. The pins may be temporarily locked inthe place at step 904. As previously described, locking the pins inplace may ensure that the pins in an extended position remain in theextended position and the pins in a retracted position remain in theretracted position behind the face of the solid plate. In anotherexample, the pins may be extended in a way such that locking is notnecessary. Additionally, in some instances, it may be desirable toprovide “give” in an extended pin, and accordingly, the pin may be fixedsuch that a desired degree of movement is permitted.

At step 905, the material to be aligned may be reversibly fixed to theextended pins. The material may be fixed via pre-formed holes in thematerial, by using the pins to punch holes in the material, and/or byany other appropriate means. The aligned material may be modified atstep 906. Multiple modifications may be made to the material. Thesemodifications may include an initial tacking of the aligned material andmoving the material between pieces of manufacturing equipment. Thealigned material may also be moved to additional arrays of pins withdifferent geometries to accommodate additional materials and/ormodifications. Modifications may include any combination of processingsteps, such as stitching, forming, fusing, printing, dyeing, pressing,welding, embroidering, lasering, and the like. In one example, multiplematerials may be aligned and modified simultaneously. In furtherexamples, multiple materials may be aligned and modified in sequenceand/or in batches. After the material has been modified, the materialmay be released. At this time, the extended pins may be at leastpartially retracted. Additionally or alternatively, the extended pinsmay remain extended to receive one or more additional pieces ofmaterial.

In FIG. 10, a flow diagram 1000 illustrates an exemplary method foraligning materials in order to construct a shoe upper. At step 1001,each pin of an array of pins may be assigned a position. The positionmay include either an extended position, where at least a portion of thepin body extends beyond a face of a solid plate, or a retractedposition, where the body of the pin is behind the back and/or face ofthe solid plate. The positions may be assigned based upon a pattern foran article of manufacture, such as a shoe or, for example, a shoe upper.The positions may be assigned by a designer or engineer or otherperson(s) involved. Additionally or alternately, the positions of thepins may be assigned by a computing program that determines an extensionpattern based upon the design and/or pattern for the article ofmanufacture.

At step 1002, each pin may be moved to its assigned position using anactuator array. For example, the actuator array may individually actuateeach pin, such that pins assigned to an extended position are extendedand pins assigned to a retracted position are retracted. At step 1003,the pins may be temporarily locked into their assigned positions. In oneexample, the extended pins may be locked into position. Additionally oralternatively, the retracted pins may be locked into position. Inanother example, the extended pins may be fixed in a position such thata desired degree of movement is permitted, in order to, for example,provide some “give” in the extended pins.

At step 1004, the material used to construct the shoe upper, or otherarticle, may be reversibly fixed to the extended pins. The material maybe reversibly fixed via preformed holes in the material, by using thepins to punch holes in the material, and/or by a number of other means.The material may be modified at step 1005. Modification may include oneor more of stitching, fusing, lasering, cutting, pressing, welding,embroidering, printing, and any number of other modifications. Multiplemodifications may be applied to a material. Modifications may furtherinclude moving the aligned material between pieces of machinery. Thealigned material may also be moved to additional arrays of pins withdifferent geometries to accommodate additional materials and/ormodifications. Following the modification, the material may be releasedand the pins may be retracted. In another example, this first materialmay remain aligned and another set of alignment pins may extend toreceive other materials to be modified in conjunction with the firstmaterial. In another example, the first material may be released and thepins may remain locked in position to receive one or more additionalpieces of material for alignment.

As described above, aspects hereof may include, among other things, amethod, a system, and an apparatus, each of which may include componentsand/or steps related to a computer system. In one aspect, the computersystem may include a computing device, such as the exemplary computingdevice 1100 depicted in FIG. 11. Computing device 1100 is but oneexample of a suitable computing system and is not intended to suggestany limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of aspects.Neither should the computing device 1100 be interpreted as having anydependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated. Moreover, aspects may also be practiced indistributed computing systems where tasks are performed by separate orremote-processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork.

Computing device 1100 may have a bus 1110 that directly or indirectlycouples the following components: memory 1112, one or more processors1114, one or more presentation components 1116, input/output ports 1118,input/output components 1120, and an illustrative power supply 1122. Bus1110 represents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus,data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of FIG.11 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, delineatingvarious components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines wouldmore accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, processors may havememory.

Computing device 1100 typically may have a variety of non-transitorycomputer-readable media. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media may comprises Random Access Memory (RAM); ReadOnly Memory (ROM); Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory(EEPROM); flash memory or other memory technologies; CDROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical or holographic media; magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, carrier wave or any other medium that can be used toencode desired information and be accessed by computing device 1100.

Memory 1112 is comprised of tangible computer-storage media in the formof volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. Memory 1112 may be removable,nonremovable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices aresolid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc.

Computing device 1100 is depicted to have one or more processors 1114that read data from various entities such as memory 1112 or I/Ocomponents 1120. Exemplary data that is read by a processor may becomprised of computer code or machine-useable instructions, which may becomputer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executedby a computer or other machine. Generally, program modules such asroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer tocode that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes.

Presentation component(s) 1116 present data indications to a user orother device. Exemplary presentation components are a display device,speaker, printing component, light-emitting component, etc. I/O ports1118 allow computing device 1100 to be logically coupled to otherdevices including I/O components 1120, some of which may be built in.

In the context of the present aspects, the computing device 1100 may beused to determine operations of various components of a system foraligning materials, such as the exemplary systems 300, 400, 500, 700,and 800 of FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, respectively. For example, acomputing device may be programmed based on an extension pattern for anextendable array of pins. Additionally or alternatively, the computingdevice may ascertain an extension pattern for a pin plate alignmentsystem based on a design and/or pattern for an article. Based on theextension pattern, the computing device may cause an actuator array toextend and/or retract one or more pins within an array of pins, and mayalso control the locking and unlocking of the pins via a locking system.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as wellas components not shown, are possible without departing from the scopeof the claims below. Aspects of the technology have been described withthe intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternativeaspects will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after andbecause of reading it. Alternative means of implementing theaforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of theclaims below. Certain features and subcombinations are of utility andmay be employed without reference to other features and subcombinationsand are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for aligning one or more materialsin order to construct an article, the apparatus comprising: a platehaving a face, a back, and an array of holes, each hole in the array ofholes extending from the back of the plate to the face of the plate; anarray of pins aligned with the array of holes, wherein each pin of thearray of pins, when in an extended position, extends at least partiallybeyond the face of the plate, and when in a retracted position, retractsbehind the face of the plate; and an actuator system configured toindividually actuate each pin of the array of pins, wherein individuallyactuating each pin comprises at least one of extending and retractingeach pin.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each pin of the array ofpins is aligned with one hole of the array of holes.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein each pin of the array of pins is aligned with a centerof one hole of the array of holes.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereineach extended pin of the array of pins extends through a hole of thearray of holes.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array of pinsincludes greater than 1000 pins and the array of holes includes greaterthan 1000 holes.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a diameter of eachpin is between about 1 millimeter and about 10 millimeters.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the diameter of each pin is about 3millimeters.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a diameter of each pinis based on the one or more materials to be aligned.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein a geometry of each pin is based on the one or morematerials to be aligned.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprisingeach pin having a pin tip, the pin tip being one of a planar pin tip, aspherical pin tip, or a conical pin tip.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1further comprising each pin having a pin body, the pin body being shapedas one of a pyramid, a cone, a cube, or a prism.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein each pin of the array of pins has a pin length, and foreach extended pin of the array of pins that is in the extended position,a portion of the pin length that extends beyond the face of the plate isless than or equal to the pin length.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the actuator system further comprises a locking system that isconfigured to temporarily secure each pin of the array of pins that isin the extended position.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein acomputing system causes the actuator system to extend at least afraction of pins in the array of pins, the at least the fraction of pinsbased on a pattern for a shoe upper.
 15. A system for aligning one ormore materials in order to construct an upper of a shoe, the systemcomprising: a plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, eachhole in the array of holes extending through the plate, from the face ofthe plate to the back of the plate; an array of moveable pins, moveablebetween an extended position and a retracted position, each pin of thearray of moveable pins having a pin length and a respective pin address,wherein each pin, when in the retracted position, is retracted such thatthe pin length is behind the face of the plate, and when in the extendedposition, is extended away from the face of the plate such that at leasta portion of the pin length extends through a corresponding hole of thearray of holes; and an actuator array that independently actuates eachpin, wherein independently actuating each pin comprises at least one ofextending and retracting each pin based on the respective pin addressfor each pin.
 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising: acomputing system that interfaces with the actuator array to cause theactuator array to perform at least one of extending and retracting eachpin based on a pattern corresponding to a shoe design.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the actuator array comprises one of a hydraulicactuator, pneumatic actuator, electric actuator, or mechanical actuator.18. The system of claim 15, further comprising: a locking system thatfixes each pin of the array of moveable pins in position.
 19. The systemof claim 15, wherein each pin of the array of moveable pins has a pinbase, wherein the actuator array actuates each pin by moving the pinbase.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the array of holes isconcentrated more densely at one of a perimeter of the plate or a centerof the plate.